I moderated a panel this morning at the SXSW Interactive conference, on online dispute resolution, an appropriate topic for the techies who attend this event. I couldn’t help mentioning to one of my panelists, Colin Rule, that the last time he had appeared remotely at another conference I attended, we encountered a glitch in the Skype connection which made him unable to hear the questions being posed. So I was glad to have Colin at my side and in person this morning. Coincidentally, a couple of days ago at this conference, the exact same problem was suffered by Julian Assange who, being holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, was only able to appear here by remote hookup. The […]

The August issue of the California Bar Journal is devoted to the theme of lawyer as peacemaker. In his introduction, State Bar President Patrick Kelly argues that it is time for lawyers to refocus their efforts from advocacy to more of a problem-solving, peacemaking role. The issue includes a number of articles by prominent ADR practitioners helping to illustrate how lawyers can make this transition. The State Bar President’s recognition that it is time for advocates to work to reduce conflict and solve problems rather than exacerbating conflict and causing problems represents a welcome shift. As Kelly states, to the extent attorneys are able to address the need for problem-solving and peacemaking, that can contribute positively to their ability to […]

The official word came down yesterday from the LA Superior Court ADR program, in a notice sent to all members of the court’s ADR panels. The entire department is shutting down by the end of June. No more cases will be sent to mediation after this week. All current cases are supposed to be set for hearings by May 10, 2013. It is truly the end of an era for court-related ADR in Los Angeles County. Whatever gripes users and mediators may have had with this program, and I have heard lots of them, the size and scope of this program was still a truly impressive achievement for the court. The ADR department successfully helped resolve thousands of cases every […]

Thanks to the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel for putting on an informative program tonight detailing changes about to take place in the LA Superior Courts due to budget cuts. Thanks especially for the plug provided for the Southern California Mediation Association’s program still in development to provide a referral source for mediators. SCMA’s program is intended to make up to some extent for the imminent abandonment of ADR administrative services by the courts. Neither the court nor SCMA are going to be able to make up entirely for the loss of the court’s effective procedures for referring cases to mediation. The court has apparently decided, however, that it can no […]

Assuming the LA Superior Court proceeds with its plan to close its ADR program this spring, the question to ask is not: how will people find mediators? Because mediators are not difficult to find. A web search will turn up hundreds of private mediators in the Southern California region. ADR provider organizations will be only too happy to refer litigants to their panels. Organizations like SCMA have lists of mediators accessible on their websites. And a number of directories are available in which mediators promote their services. The real question is whether parties and attorneys are going to continue to seek out the services of mediators after the court stops performing the functions of assigning cases to mediators and following […]

Joseph C. Markowitz

Joseph C. Markowitz has published this blog, focusing on mediation and other forms of conflict resolution, since 2009. Mr. Markowitz practices law under the name "Law Offices of Joseph C. Markowitz," sharing space with three other attorneys in downtown Los Angeles. He has been in practice since 1980, emphasizing employment law, intellectual property, and general business disputes. Mr. Markowitz was trained as a mediator in 1994, and has served on one state court and two federal court mediation panels, in addition to handling private mediations. He also served as president of the Southern California Mediation Association in 2014.

For more information about Mr. Markowitz’s law and dispute resolution practice, go to jcmarkowitz.com